Comanche

For other uses, see Comanche (disambiguation).

Comanches
Nʉmʉnʉʉ

Flag of the Comanche
Regions with significant populations
United States (Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico)
Languages
English, Comanche
Religion
Native American Church, Christianity, traditional tribal religion
Related ethnic groups
Shoshone and other Numic peoples

A Comanche warrior.

Comanche peoples are Native Americans who lived in an area called the Comancheria. This is where Eastern New Mexico, Southern Colorado, Southern Kansas, all of Oklahoma and most of Northern and Southern Texas are today. There once were as many as 20,000 Comanches. Today the Comanche Nation has 10,000 members, most in Oklahoma (centered at Lawton) and the rest in Texas, California, and New Mexico. The Comanche speak a language of their own, the Comanche language that is related to other Native American ones, called Uto-Aztecan language family.

The name Comanche was given by the Mexicans and it was the word the Comanche used to call them, komantsia (enemy, foreigner). But the Comanches' call themselves Numunuu, meaning "human being" or "the People". They were very good warriors and fought the white settlers and army for many years until they gave up in 1875.

The woman in the family made the teepees. They gathered wild potatoes, fruits, nuts and berries. The woman in the family cooked, cleaned and made their clothing. The clothing was made out either bear, deer, bison, buffalo, wolves or coyotes.

Notes

Further reading

• Thomas, Alfred Barnaby (1940) The Plains Indians and New Mexico, 1751-1778: A collection of documents illustrative of the history of the eastern frontier of New Mexico. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, OCLC 3626655
• Wolff, Gerald W., and Cash, Joseph W. (1976) The Comanche People Phoenix, Arizona: Indian Tribal Series.

Other websites

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• Comanche Nation
• The Comanche Language and Cultural Perservation Committee